Vesigen Therapeutics Inc. has been awarded a grant by the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) to develop a targeted genome editing therapeutic strategy for Friedreich’s ataxia.

Olatec Therapeutics LLC has been awarded a research grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to evaluate its lead molecule, dapansutrile (OLT-1177), in preclinical Parkinson’s disease progression models.

Praetego Inc. has been granted a US$300,000 phase I Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) award by the National Eye Institute (NEI) to advance the company's lead candidate, PTG-630, into preclinical proof of concept in diabetic retinopathy.

Genascence Corp. has been awarded US$11.6 million over 4 years from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to help advance the company's GNSC-001 gene therapy for knee osteoarthritis (OA). The funding will support a phase Ib trial and manufacturing activities.

NRG Therapeutics Ltd. has been awarded a second US$500,000 grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF), to support its lead drug discovery program and the development of a novel treatment for Parkinson's disease.

Ryne Biotechnology Inc. has been awarded a US$4 million Clinical Stage Research Program (CLIN1) grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to advance its lead candidate RNDP-001 through IND submission in the next 12 months.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is partnering with Targagenix Inc. and Northeastern University to study pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The partnership will receive nearly US$3 million over 5 years through funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. a US$3.1 million grant to support continued development of the company's Supernova-1 (SNV-1) preclinical program through IND application. The grant was awarded to Calidi to support IND-enabling studies, finalize manufacturing and the completion of Calidi's IND application for the SNV-1 program.

An AU$300,000 grant from The Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation (Pankind) will support research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research into the use of a porcupine-targeting molecule for pancreatic cancer.

Kinimmune Inc. has received US$400,000 in funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its phase I STTR application to advance the preclinical development of KIN-102, an immunostimulant for intratumoral injection that is designed to turn cold tumors hot for synergy with immuno-oncology drugs, such as checkpoint inhibitors.